Air Warrior Col. John W. Thompson - KMI Media Group

Being Let Down Gently
olD C H u t e s C a n’t H a n D l e g r o w i n g w e i g H t.
For the first time in more than 50 years, the U.S. Army is
fielding a new parachute—the T-11. For the past six months,
soldiers at the Army’s Basic Airborne Course at Fort Benning,
Ga., made their first jumps using the T-11, then made their
next four jumps with the T-10. As predicted, jumps made with
the T-11 resulted in many fewer injuries than those made with
the T-10. The Army is planning to replace all T-10 parachutes.
Airplanes have changed radically in the 68 years since
founding of the Airborne Test Platoon at Fort Benning, but
by contrast, the parachutes in the military inventory have
remained almost frozen in time. Until the T-11.
wHy t H e t-11?
The T-10 has been in the Army inventory for more than 50
years. It is reliable and effective. So why change something
that works?
The answer lies in the fact that requirements placed on
today’s paratrooper exceed those for which the T-10 was
designed. In the 1950s, the total jumper weight (TJW)—weight
of soldier, parachute system and combat load—averaged 300
pounds. Combat loads have grown increasingly heavier over
the years with the advent of new equipment and doctrine. Paratroopers
are required to jump in more equipment to maintain
lethality and sustain themselves for longer periods.
The T-10 system was not designed for these heavier combat
loads. The T-11 was specifically designed to safely carry a
paratrooper with a TJW of 400 pounds to the ground at a lower
rate of descent.
low e r r a t e o f D e s C e n t, l e s s o s C i l l a t i o n
A key safety benefit of the T-11 is its significantly lower rate
of descent (RoD). A study by the Belgian army showed a significant
reduction in parachute landing injuries when lowering a
parachute’s RoD from 22 feet per second to 18 feet per second.
Recent tests with live jumpers and mannequins with a TJW of
360 pounds gauged the RoD of the T-10 at 22 feet per second,
while the T-11 came in at 19 feet per second. In fact, the T-11
main canopy was tested with a payload in excess of 700 pounds
and its RoD was still less than 28 feet per second. In addition,
the design of the main canopy results in minimal oscillation
after canopy inflation and similarly after lowering the
combat load.
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